Seeing Double
by sariahsue
Summary: Ladybug has discovered Cat Noir's secret identity, and he doesn't know that she knows. And she doesn't know that he knows hers. He doesn't know who Marinette has a crush on. She doesn't know why Adrien is suddenly flirting with her.
1. Chapter 1

The class was divided into groups for the assignment. Marinette huddled over her paper with Mylene and Max at Chloe's table, while Chloe filed her nails and occasionally asked how the work was coming. The three did their best to ignore her. Marinette's pigtails brushed her shoulders, which were hunched in concentration.

"Uh, hey, bro?"

Marinette's eyes sparkled with determination when she ran into a tricky question. Her nose scrunched up adorably.

"Bro."

How had he not realized that Marinette was so adorable before now? And so beautiful! She was gorgeous! Her hair was vibrant! Her eyes dazzled! Her lips-

"Adrien!"

He was snapped out of his daydreaming as Nino shook his arm. "What?"

"Dude, that's the third time today."

"What's the third time?" They were seated around a back table with Kim and Ivan. Adrien looked down at his own assignment sheet. Only the first problem was done. He scrambled to start the second one.

"That you've stopped listening to me because you're gawking at Marinette."

"I'm not gawking." He was _admiring._ There was a difference!

"Just go talk to her," Kim said, and Ivan nodded his agreement.

But Adrien couldn't "just go talk to her." Not when he'd – completely by accident – found out that morning that she was secretly Ladybug. His superhero partner had always been so confident and creative, facing danger with a smile, so willing to risk herself for others that he couldn't help but be drawn in. Now he knew that Ladybug stuttered when she was flustered (which was surprisingly often), loved to sew, and baked things for people that she liked. No, he couldn't "just go talk to her." She was a superhero that was also super selfless, super beautiful, super kind. She'd also not looked his way all day.

She liked someone. She'd mentioned some boy. Who was it?

"Who does Marinette have a crush on?" He realized too late that he hadn't been paying attention again. He'd interrupted Ivan mid-sentence, and his mouth still hung open slightly.

"You don't know?" Kim asked. "Seriously? It's so obvious."

"Sorry, dude," Nino said. "I've been sworn to secrecy."

Ivan just shrugged.

Adrien glanced between the three of them, assignment sheet completely forgotten. It was obvious? He'd never seen her given preferential treatment to anyone. She was kind and friendly to everybody (except Chloe). And he'd never seen her try to get any boy's attention. Maybe it was someone he didn't know?

Ms. Bustier was writing tonight's homework on the board, so while her back was turned, Adrien leaned over to the neighboring table, where Alix, Nathanael and Sabrina were working quietly.

"Psst." All three looked over at him. "Who does Marinette have a crush on?"

Nathanael shook his head and went back to his work, hiding behind his bangs.

Alix snorted. "Really, Adrien? And she tries so hard, too."

Sabrina's eyes went wide. "I thought you knew."

"Well, I would know if someone would just tell me," he whispered at them. Below him, Marinette was holding her paper in front of her, completely and frustratingly blocking her wonderful face from his view.

The girls just shared a look, and Alix finally shrugged. "Not our place to say."

"Come on!" he begged. "Why won't you tell me?"

The bell sounded, high and sharp, and his classmates started packing. Marinette – ah, even her name was beautiful! – bolted for the hallway with Alya close behind. He wistfully watched them go. Maybe Kim was right. He should at least try to talk. Maybe he could get the name of his rival directly from her. Or maybe...

He swept everything into his backpack and slung it over his shoulders. He hadn't been able to win her over as Cat Noir, but maybe, just maybe, he could earn her heart as Adrien. He followed the path Marinette had taken to her locker, trying to ooze with confidence the way he did whenever he was masked.

She stood in front of her open locker and stared into it, just as Alya caught sight of him and started whispering to her. He could do this, he told himself as he got closer. The hallway bustled with students packing up for the day, but Adrien hardly noticed. He talked to his Lady all the time. He would go talk to her right now. Nothing to be excited about.

Alya smiled at him and moved to the side when he got closer, though Marinette hadn't seemed to notice him yet. With a final steadying breath, the reached out and tapped her on the shoulder.

* * *

 _Author note: Oh, look. I said there would be an update in two weeks, and I was right. (There was an obscene amount of procrastinating that went into this, just so you know!) Next chapter will be up on Wednesday night._

 _This is a gift for Anadia Chan, who I found through her amazing Miraculous comic on Tumblr. She'd made a comment ages ago wishing for a story where they were super awkward at school after a reveal_ _, but they make it worse by trying not to be awkward and trying to hide they know_ _. Anadia, I hope this is as good as you were imagining! (Adrien is the sappiest, oblivious-est dork I know. Ha ha. This was fun to write.)_

 _Incorrect Miraculous Quote  
_ _Cat Noir: Who wants to hear a joke?  
_ _Ladybug: Not me.  
_ _Cat Noir: Heh heh. Yeah, you do. Here it goes. Why did the pelican get kicked out of the restaurant?  
_ _Ladybug: I don't caaare!  
_ _Cat Noir: Because he had a very big bill! La la la la! Hyuk hyuk hyuk!  
_ _Ladybug: Urgh. Boo. Bad joke. Bad pelican joke.  
_ _Cat Noir: Yay! Hurray!  
_ _-Gravity Falls_


	2. Chapter 2

It was a miracle that Ms. Bustier had put them in different groups. It wasn't that Marinette was suddenly freaking out about Adrien. It was just that she was having a hard enough time functioning while she was only staring at the back of his head. She wasn't sure she could have handled sitting next to and talking with him.

Marinette was not freaking out. She wasn't. Everything was okay. So what if Cat Noir was really Adrien? That's okay. This was fine. She could be normal in class... as long as she couldn't see him. She could walk around like nothing was wrong. Because nothing was. Really.

As soon as the bell rang, she raced for the safety of the crowded hallway, where it would be so much easier to avoid him. Unfortunately, there was no escaping Alya.

"Girl, what is going on with you and Adrien today?"

"Nothing!" she said too quickly, and opened her locker mechanically. There were things in her locker. She needed to take some of those things home. These things had to do with school, not Adrien. Adrien was Cat Noir.

"Really? Why are you avoiding him, then?"

So that means that Adrien fought all those akumas with her. Adrien had saved her life multiple times. That was normal. This was okay.

"Hey, Marinette?" Alya leaned toward her and whispered. "He's coming over." After a few more seconds, she stepped away, not that Marinette noticed.

But if Adrien and Cat Noir were really the same person... She could feel her brain start to melt with this new realization. If they were the same person, that meant it was really Adrien who constantly flirted with her. _THIS IS NOT OKAY!_

She felt a sudden tap on her shoulder and spun in place as Adrien said, "Hey, Marinette." She jumped backward in surprise, knocking her elbow into the door of her locker and spraying her papers everywhere. _Be normal! It's just Cat Noir, who is also Adrien!_

Adrien stopped short at her reaction, but she refused to look at the papers floating lazily to the floor around them, so he took that as a sign to keep going. "Sorry," he said, leaning against a neighboring locker and smiling broadly. "Didn't mean to startle you."

 _Quick. Say something normal._ "Good, thanks!"

Behind Adrien, Alya facepalmed. Nino had come to stand next to her and gave Marinette an encouraging smile.

"Uh..." Adrien dropped all pretense of trying to be cool and instead just looked kind of confused. "Are you okay?"

"Oh, s-sorry," she said. "You stuck up – SNUCK up – on me." They stared at each other for several seconds before she had the sense to fill up the awkward silence by picking up her papers, which had puddled around her feet. Adrien quickly bent to help her.

She could handle this. She was friends with Cat Noir. She was also friends with Adrien. This shouldn't be too hard to talk to them – him – normally. She just had to focus on her words instead of her pounding heart and the army of butterflies in her stomach.

"So, you are how?" She cringed, and Alya managed to make it worse by snickering at her misfortune. Some friend.

"I'm fine." He looked up at her and winked. Winked! "How are you?"

"You're fine. I'M FINE. How are you?"

"I'm... still fine," he said. He open his mouth to say something else, but after a quick glance at her face, he shut it again. The last paper fluttered in the wake of all the passing students. Adrien snatched it out of the air and handed it to her.

"So... how'd you do on the assignment? I bet it was really easy for someone as smart as you," he said.

He had come over here to talk to her. He was putting in the effort to keep the conversation going. He was complimenting her! She wasn't going to let this opportunity slip away. Cat Noir liked flirts and puns, right?

"Not as smart as you! You're as smart as _scissors!"_

"Thanks?"

In the background, Alya covered her mouth, her shoulders shaking with the effort of holding in her laughter. Nino pulled his cap down over his face, obviously embarrassed on her behalf.

"Yeah, like, scissors are really smart," she continued.

Adrien nodded his agreement even though he clearly had no idea what she was talking about. Her face started to get warm. How did he make this seem so easy?

"Scissors are sharp, and sharp means smart." Her palms started to sweat. "And... and rock, _paper_ , scissors." She gestured to the papers haphazardly piled in her arms and almost dropped them. "So I thought, you're sharp like scissors, and uh, you picked me up- helped me pick up..." Never mind. She couldn't do this. "I just remembered I have to help in the bakery today," she blurted out, face shining with embarrassment. "Bye!"

Before Adrien could respond, she slammed her locker closed and dove into the throng of students heading for the doors. She knew there weren't enough people to hide her from view, so she moved quickly, narrowly avoiding backpacks and elbows. Ms. Mendeleiv stepped out of her classroom suddenly, and Marinette was lucky to step around her at the last second, saving herself from an embarrassing collision that would have ended with her papers all over the floor again. She could still feel Adrien's eyes on her. A glance over her shoulder confirmed that, yes, he was still watching her. She had to go home. She picked up her pace and faced forward, just in time to walk into a wall. The papers exploded from her hands. This time, she left them and fled, ignoring all the stares. Behind her, Alya started cackling loudly.

"That was hilarious." Marinette heard Alya's voice echoing down the hallway after her.

"Is she okay?" Adrien's voice was quieter, and she only just managed to pick out his words.

"She'll be fine." Alya had to catch her breath between her bellowing laughs. "You should flirt with her more often. Oh, my gosh." Another gasp for breath. "I'm crying."

Marinette turned a corner, and Alya's voice was muffled by the shuffle of feet and the end-of-school buzz of voices. She barely remembered leaving the building, instead replaying what was probably the most mortifying conversation of her life.

She fervently hoped that Adrien, Cat Noir, would never find out that she was Ladybug.

* * *

 _Author's note: Apparently, I accidentally tagged this story as Andre/Mari instead of Adrien/Mari. Oops! Ha ha. It's fixed now. Next chapter will be up on Saturday night. I'm hoping to keep to an update every three or so days._

 _To my guest reviewer, thank you! Here's the answer to your question. ;)_

 _Thanks for reading!_

 _Incorrect Miraculous Quote  
Nooroo: Why do you want to fight?_  
 _Hawk Moth: Because I can't sing or dance._  
 _-Rocky_


	3. Chapter 3

Marinette dashed up her stairs. She ran through her house so quickly that everything was a blur – or maybe that was because her head was still spinning. Up in the safety of her room, she flopped onto her chaise face first. The fabric was too stuffy and scratchy against her skin, but she couldn't bring herself to move.

This was a complete disaster. She couldn't behave like that at school. The teachers would realize something was wrong. Maybe her parents would be notified. All the other students would make fun of her. What if she started acting this way around Cat Noir? What if she got so crazy and distracted on a mission that she got herself killed?

Or worse, what if Adrien was so put off by her behavior that he started to avoid her? Then she'd never make him like her!

But wait. Cat Noir confessed to loving Ladybug. So what was Adrien doing flirting with Marinette? He'd told her – both of her – that he liked Ladybug. What was he doing? She twisted until she was on her side, then tucked herself into a ball.

"What's wrong, Marinette?" Tikki asked. She flitted into Marinette's field of vision, too happy and cheerful for the situation.

"I'm mad at Cat Noir for flirting with Marinette. That's what."

"So?"

"So?! They- _He_ likes Ladybug! He shouldn't be flirting with other girls!"

"But he's not," Tikki said. "This just proves that Adrien likes all of you. You should be happy."

Marinette twisted onto her other side, turning her back on the kwami. "But he doesn't know we're the same person. He shouldn't be leading Marinette on, and he shouldn't be flirting with anyone except Ladybug."

There was nothing stopping Tikki from bobbing back into Marinette's view, so she wasn't surprised to find Tikki's face suddenly inches from her own. "You're jealous. Of yourself."

Marinette picked up the closest pillow and shoved her head beneath it.

Tikki stopped pestering her, but that left her aloen with her own mind, which was more than enough torture. She was being ridiculous. Again. She logically knew that she shouldn't be upset. Cat Noir wasn't technically flirting with another girl behind her back. Adrien liked both halves of her.

She liked both halves of him, too. Cat Noir was her loyal parter, her best friend, the only person she literally trusted with her life on a daily basis. She loved and cared deeply for him. And Adrien... well, she'd been in love with Adrien for as long as she'd known him.

They could be together, she realized. But just as she was starting to get excited about the concept (and accepting that meant she was excited about dating Cat Noir), her intrusive worries brought her crashing back to reality. They could be together, but not if he was flirting with multiple girls at once. She had to talk to him about that, though her stomach squirmed uncomfortably at the idea. She couldn't just go up and talk to him. She'd melt into a mumbling mess again.

She pulled her head out from under the pillow and glanced over at Tikki, who was busy jumping on the buttons of Marinette's game controller in another vain attempt to beat the computer at Ultimate Mecha Strike 3.

She wouldn't stumble over her words if she was in costume.

In under a minute, the game was paused and Ladybug was sailing through the sky toward the Tuileries Garden, where she knew they were – he was – getting ready for a photoshoot. The suit gave her confidence, and her trepidation quickly turned into indignation. How dare he! He couldn't just flirt with anyone he wanted!

She was going to march onto the set and demand to talk to him. She couldn't wait to see his startled face when she dragged him away and gave him a piece of her mind. That would teach him not to flirt with girls he didn't know were secretly her! And then... and then she'd kiss him silly! That would show him!

She had to change her plan slightly when she dropped into the garden. The wide lawn was a luscious green, bordered by overflowing flowerbeds, and thronged with people. She really would love to avoid an audience. While most of the crowd was there to appreciate the fragrant beauty of nature, she quickly spotted the only ones there on business. Several assistants were setting up mirrors and white reflectors, while Adrien's regular photographer waved his arms around at them. There were a few scattered chairs and a large, white tent, but Adrien himself was nowhere in sight.

Ladybug moved to crouch behind a nearby row of tall hedges near the tent and tried to plan her next move. She couldn't talk to him now, not while he was working, and especially if she couldn't find him. Maybe she should just do it later. Or maybe she should hide in her room some more.

A woman with a towel over her shoulder and her hair in a tight bun started walking toward the hedge. Ladybug watched breathlessly through the thick leaves. Had the woman spotted her? She stopped at the wall of the tent. "Adrien!" she called, leaning lightly against the fabric. "Makeup in five."

There was a faint call back, too quiet for Ladybug to make out the words, but it certainly sounded like Adrien's voice. The woman walked back to the photographer, and no one else looked Ladybug's way. Was this her chance? Adrien was probably alone in the tent getting ready. Should she go now? Should she come back later?

She clenched her fists. No, she needed to do this before she lost her nerve. She took a deep breath and squeezed between the tickling branches of the hedge, then sprinted the short distance to the tent and stopped at the door flap. No one looked her way. No one shouted. There was no sound coming from inside the tent. The bottom of the flap fluttered slightly in the breeze that her sprint created.

Before she could second-guess herself, she pushed her way inside. "Now listen, Adri-AAHHH!" _Abort, abort!_

"Hey!" Adrien jumped and nearly dropped the shirt he'd been putting on. "What?"

 _Shirtless Adrien! Abort mission!_

"S-sorry!" Ladybug yelled. "Uh, thought that you- you were- Uh, I- BYE!" But instead of moving, she focused on the ground at her feet, so she wouldn't stare at him. Or maybe so he couldn't see the shade of ladybug red that her face was surely turning.

"What-"

"Bye! Sorry!" she yelled at him again as she turned and practically fell through the door flap in her need for escape.

She ran and leapt and swung and didn't stop until she was safely out of the garden, across the street, and hiding among the steel beams of a bridge over the Seine. She was hidden from boats below by thick metal and from the pedestrians above by wooden planks, though she was still close enough to hear their footsteps and chatter.

Oh, that couldn't have gone any worse. She walked in on him changing! How could she even look at him tomorrow? Or ever again? Her face burned in shame, so she cooled it against the misted metal and tried to focus on the sound of the water churning beneath her.

After a few deep breaths, she was feeling slightly better- just in time for her to realize that if Adrien was Cat Noir, then she'd also just seen her partner changing. She groaned. Okay, now it was official. It couldn't get any worse.

As she stood up to retreat to her room, she lost her footing and plopped into the river.

* * *

Author note: Thanks for reviews, everyone! :D And to my guest reviewer, thank you! And here you go!

So these quotes at the end... The only thing I love more than quotes are incorrect quotes. I literally have a list of them on my computer. XD Not sure if I like them at the end of the chapters like this, though. Should I keep going?

Incorrect Miraculous Quote  
Ladybug: Ah! Curse your sudden but inevitable betrayal!  
Volpina: A ha ha! Mine is an evil laugh!  
-Firefly


	4. Chapter 4

What was supposed to be a quick photoshoot took an hour longer than expected, and Adrien took full responsibility for that. How could he focus on holding a pose or remembering his instructions or smiling just right when Ladybug had just come to see him? She'd come to see him! Vincent corrected him a half dozen times and told him he had to look happy in the photos, but not that happy, what was wrong with him.

Why had she reacted the way she had, charging in before retreating in alarm? He was certain that she didn't know he knew her identity. He'd only just found out. So what else could it have been? There had been her behavior at school, too. Why had she been so much more flustered than normal?

With a final look at the camera display and a relieved sigh, Vincent yelled that they were finished, and everyone started packing up. They'd gone so far over schedule that Nathalie had informed him his Chinese lesson had to be cancelled for the day. Father wouldn't be happy about how distracted he'd been.

On the plus side, by the time the shoot was over, he'd thought of a plan of action.

1) He would go to Marinette's house.

2) He would find out the name of this "other boy."

3) He would steal her heart away from him.

He admitted to himself that maaaybe some of those tasks would be more difficult than others.

The sun was setting, and he had to squint as he ducked back into the tent to change back into his normal clothes. Plagg had seen the whole episode with Ladybug and had been cackling about it whenever Adrien was in earshot. He started right up again as soon as his chosen entered the tent.

"Is it over? Are you going to go see your _girlfriend_ now?"

Adrien almost threw some discarded clothes at him but instead shut him up with an offer of cheese. He needed Plagg to be in a good mood if he was going to convince him to transform for something as trivial as a personal visit.

The ten-minute car ride home dragged on for ages, and Adrien spent most of it twitching in anticipation in the back seat. She must have come to talk to him about school, he reasoned. That was the only thing that made sense. But then, why come as Ladybug? He couldn't get that thought out of his head. She'd actually come to see him! She'd wanted to see him! It was such a short memory, but he replayed over and over it with a sappy smile on his face.

Familiar buildings flashed by him, and the car eased past through gate and parked smoothly next to his front steps. In three large leaps, he was through the door and dashing through the airy atrium. With a hasty explanation to Nathalie that he had a lot of homework he needed to catch up on, he raced to his room. He barely stopped to make sure the door was closed tightly before continuing his bolt and leaping for the window, calling on Plagg to transform him as he vaulted through the opening.

Marinette's house was so close to his, but the short time it took him to get there somehow seemed even longer than the car ride. He was going to see his Lady, and he couldn't get there fast enough.

Cat Noir stopped on the broad roof of the school, which offered a full view of her balcony above the bakery. People were coming in and out, but no one was looking up. He should be clear to just jump over there and knock on her skylight window.

As he extended his baton to make the final vault, the window popped open and Marinette crawled out. If she'd have looked over, she would have seen a very lovesick Cat Noir blowing kisses her way. Luckily for his suave image, she didn't. She went to the edge of her balcony flopped her head and arms over the railing and hung there like a piece of wet laundry. Her hair was loose and hung down around her face, making the scene look even more comical.

One quick change of plans later and Cat Noir was crouching behind the chimney wall at the back of Marinette's roof. Maybe it was a bit mean, but how fun would it be to jump over the wall and startle her – payback for giving him a heart attack back in the tent. He leapt on top of the wall without attracting her attention. She was no longer hanging on the railing, instead resting her elbows on it with her face in her hands. Without warning (or really thinking it through), he dropped in next to her with a thump and a loud "Hey, Princess!"

Marinette responded with an even louder shriek and a look of pure horror.

"C-Cat Nat- Noir. You- Wh- Why you-"

He quickly realized that he'd messed up. She was stuttering again. He expected her to jump and maybe slap his arm for scaring her. Why was she suddenly stuttering like she did around Adrien? Had he really frightened her that badly? He must have. Stupid!

His placating apologies didn't really do much to help her. She turned her back to him and mumbled, "F-fine. Fotally, ugh, totally fine. Don't w-worry about it."

Instead of helping him fix his situation, his brain immediately zeroed in on her hair, which was hanging limp and damp, and leaving water spots on her shoulders.

"Why is your hair wet?" he asked.

"What?" She reached up to grab at it, momentarily forgetting her distress. "Oh, right." She glared at him as she started to braid it, but she didn't explain. "So why are you here?" she asked as she finished. She even managed to spare a glance in his direction.

"Oh, just checking in on you," he said. "You know..."

She rolled her eyes at him, not convinced. But she wasn't stuttering anymore, and the tension started to ease out of his shoulders. He hadn't completely messed up. His Lady wasn't mad at him.

He still didn't know what was going on with her, but she clearly had no idea who he was really was. She would be still be stuttering if she did. Instead, she was back to her usual wonderful, sassy self, now that her surprise at seeing him had seemed to wear off.

"Oh, uh," she looked around and started to wring her hands. "Did you w-want to sit down or anything?" She nodded to a pink lawn chair that was tucked up against the wall, then scrubbed her palm over her mouth.

"I'm fine here," he said, leaning against the railing, careful to avoid her flower box. The roses inside were almost as pretty as her. Ooh, good compliment! He'd have to work that into the conversation at some point. "A gentleman wouldn't take the only seat if a lady were present."

To his surprise, she giggled quietly, a marvelous sound, and came to stand next to him. They both leaned on her railing, shoulder to shoulder. "You're such a dork."

"But a _purr-_ fectly well-mannered one, you must admit." What could he do to make her laugh again?

"Sure," she said, knocking her elbow against his. Instead of looking at him, she smiled down at the street, which hummed with life. "So what did you really come here for, Cat Noir?"

His claws clicked against the metal railing as he drummed his fingers. "I can't come visit you without having my motives questioned?"

"Nope. I know you too well," she said, still not looking at him. He knew what she really meant, that she knew her partner, and his heartbeat sped up. She did know him well, but he wasn't supposed to know that she knew. She knew him better than she realized she did. Better than anyone else, and he loved it. The light from the setting sun peeked through the clouds and illuminated her face, making her glow.

She looked over at him, expecting a witty comeback to her jibe, but he was caught staring at her instead.

"Uh." He coughed and cleared his throat, hoping it would buy him more time to recover. "No reason in particular."

"I don't believe that for a second," she said. "What's this about?" She shifted, and he almost thought she was going to leave, but instead she inched closer to him and laid her head on his shoulder. It was a good thing he was already using the railing for support, because he thought his legs were about to give out.

Before his brain could filter his question, he blurted out, "Who do you have a crush on?" She jerked her head back up, and he found he missed her already.

"I-it's no one you've met." She couldn't quite meet his eye. It looked like she was focusing on his nose instead. "Well... well, I mean, I'm pretty sure you've never been formally introduced." Her blush was spreading from her cheeks all the way up to her hairline and down her neck. She probably didn't want to talk about this with the person who confessed his love to her, but he needed to know.

"Who?"

"Why are you so interested?" She stepped away then, twisting her braid around in her fingers and brushing the tip against her cheek. "Don't you like Ladybug?"

 _You bet I do._

But he wanted her to know that he liked _her._ All of her. So he leaned forward, easing himself into her space again, and he said, "Maybe I like you instead."

Marinette's grip on her braid tightened, knuckles going white, and he wasn't sure what was going wrong. Before he could lean away and recover the situation, she had bolted for the trap door, slamming it shut. His sensitive ears picked up the click of the lock. Cat Noir was left looking around the abandoned balcony in confusion.

"What did I say?"

* * *

 _Author's note: Somebody take that shovel away from Adrien. He's digging his own grave. The chapters (seven total) will be alternating from here on out. I think the next chapter is the only serious one in this whole fic. XD_

 _Incorrect Miraculous Quote_  
 _Cat Noir: Ladybug, do you believe in ghosts?_  
 _Ladybug: I believe you're a big *dork.*_  
 _-Gravity Falls_


	5. Chapter 5

Marinette woke up grumpy, having slept terribly. She was mad at Cat Noir. She was mad at Tikki too, but that was hardly the kwami's fault. All she'd done was ask what was wrong about a thousand times and offer words that were supposed to be comforting but didn't fix anything. She buried herself deeper into her warm blankets, too tired to move but too alert to go back to sleep.

She'd have to get up for school soon and see him. She didn't want to see him. She didn't want to think about him. She didn't want him to come haunt her balcony again. She didn't want to go fight an akuma, where she was guaranteed to see him.

A quick glance at her cell phone told her she only had a few minutes until she had to start getting ready. Marinette set it back down slowly and quietly, hoping her movement wouldn't upset the spot on her pillow where Tikki's small weight dimpled the fabric.

He'd changed his mind so easily. Two days ago, he'd taken every chance he had to tell Ladybug that she was amazing, they were meant to be together, that she was the only one for him. And he dropped that crush in a few measly hours. If he'd gotten over her so easily once, how quick would he be to get over her a second time? She'd never be able to keep the attention of a flirt like Cat Noir.

A part of her wished Tikki would just intuitively understand what was wrong. She didn't want to have to explain. But she was pretty good at imagining Tikki's arguments anyway. "He probably didn't mean it that way. Wouldn't it be easier to just ask what he meant?" "You turned Cat Noir down. You wanted him to move on, didn't you?" "Weren't you complaining to me – just last week – that you thought he only liked you because he thinks you're a 'perfect' superhero and not because of who you are?" "You won him over from yourself. Isn't that a good thing?" "Don't you want him to like you?" The answers were all yes, of course, but that didn't make her feel any better.

She sighed and twisted in her blankets. (It wasn't like she could get any more tangled, anyway.) At least something good had happened from this whole thing. She'd learned that she barely stuttered around Cat Noir, which was a huge relief. They'd both be safer if she could function as a normal human being in his presence, and he'd be less likely to guess her identity. The bad news was the lack of stuttering was probably due to her still partially viewing them as two separate people. She'd need to work on that.

Her twisting and turning was slow to wake Tikki, who had been putting up with it for most of the night, but wake she finally did, looking as cheerful as ever.

"Good morning. Do you feel better?" she asked cautiously.

"Not really." Marinette threw the blankets back over her face. Did ladybugs make cocoons? They totally did, right? Because she wanted one. It was dark and snug in here. It smelled familiar and soothing. And Adrien wasn't in here, so that was an added bonus. Adrien snuggling under the blankets with her... Another benefit of cocoons: no one could see her embarrassed blush.

"Maybe school and Alya will help take your mind off things," Tikki said. She phased right through the covers and landed on Marinette's nose. She only groaned, so Tikki tried again. "Do you want to talk about it now?"

"Just leave me alone to die," she moaned and swatted at her face.

Tikki dodged out of the way. She must have been tired of being pushed away, because her tone was clipped as she phased back out of the blanket. "Get. Up."

* * *

Marinette's goal for the day was easy: Avoid Adrien at all costs. It shouldn't be too hard, she reasoned. She only had to see him the WHOLE STUPID DAY!

She made herself late on purpose, so she wouldn't have time to talk to him before class, though it wouldn't have mattered. He showed up thirty minutes late himself, informing the teacher that he'd had an emergency photoshoot. Apparently, the pictures from yesterday hadn't been good enough and needed to be redone. Marinette propped her book open on the desk and hid behind it before he could look at her. Her fault. He'd been distracted after she'd shown up. He sat down without a word and unzipped his bag quietly.

Alya poked her in the shoulder and raised her eyebrows, then nodded toward Adrien, wordlessly asking what was going on. Marinette pressed her face into the table and didn't say anything.

She kept the book up as a barrier all class, but it couldn't stop her from hearing every time Adrien shifted in his seat. Was it her imagination, or was he more fidgety than normal today? Twice, she peeked around her wall and found that he was sneaking a glance at her. Both times, she squeaked audibly before ducking back out of sight. The second time, it had been loud enough to get the teacher's attention. The end result was that Marinette was told to lower her book shield and pay attention. She could unhappily fulfill one of those request, but paying attention turned out to be too much to ask for. She couldn't focus her eyes or thoughts on anything but Adrien, who kept his head bowed for the rest of class.

At the end of first period, Marinette sprinted out of the classroom, Alya in tow. She had it all figured out. She would claim that she needed to talk to Ms. Mendeleiev about something, so she couldn't possibly be expected to talk to other students between classes. Then, she'd spend lunch at home, and maybe she'd conveniently have a fever that afternoon.

"You can't avoid him for the rest of your life," Alya said as they powerwalked down the hallway.

"I can try." Marinette kept a firm grip on Alya's wrist.

"I'll catch up with you later, girl," she said, tugging away from Marinette's grasp. "Gotta talk to Nino real quick."

"Wait!" _Don't leave me!_

Alya broke free and moved out of reach before Marinette could grab her and keep her there. She hadn't said anything earlier about Nino. Why was it so urgent now?

"Hey, Marinette." Adrien said.

She tried to jump at the voice and spin around at the same time. It didn't work out too well, and she ended up losing her balance. The lockers were kind enough to catch her as she fell. She made quite the crash when she hit, and several people looked over before continuing on to their next class.

"Oh, h-h-hi, Adrien." There were only five minutes in between classes. And this was Cat Noir! She could last that long against Cat Noir, right? Sweat already trickled at the back of her neck. Probably wrong.

He'd reached out to help steady her, but retracted his hand before he touched her and dropped his gaze quickly. Something was different. He seemed more hesitant, and he took a small step back when he saw that she didn't need his help staying upright. She knew it. He was put off by her weirdness and wanted to keep his distance!

"I- I'm sorry about yesterday. Are you okay?"

"Oh, sure!" she said, smiling in what she hoped wasn't a creepy way. "It's your fault." She watched his face contort into a crinkled frown. "I mean, MY fault! NOT your fault. Sorry." She held her books up and ducked behind them. How many more minutes until class started? It'd been five already, right? Please tell her it'd been five.

"Listen," he said, pushing her books down so she would meet his eyes. "I was- I was thinking, and I figured I should probably tell you-" He seemed to think better of whatever it was. "Is something bothering you? I mean, you've been really quiet all day, and I was just wondering if maybe something happened yesterday, maybe at school, or... or after school, that you wanted to talk about? You seem... really upset."

He shuffled his feet nervously, and she suddenly felt guilty. She'd never stopped to think what running out on him would make him feel. She expected Cat Noir would think she was just a weird random citizen, laugh it off, and go find someone else to flirt with. But Adrien would be concerned about his friend and maybe a little hurt. She had to stop seeing them as two separate people.

"Oh, I'm okay," she said. "Really. You don't need to worry." Should she tell him she knew? She didn't think she was ready. But she also didn't want to hurt him. If Cat Noir and Adrien were the same person... it had been bad enough rejecting her kitty and hurting his feelings, but – her heart squeezed painfully as the full weight of the realization sunk in – but she'd been rejecting her sweet Adrien, too. Did he still feel that way about Ladybug? Or had he moved on already?

"Okay," he said, finally taking his hand off her books and scratching the back of his neck. "As long as you're sure you're fine." He didn't sound very convinced.

She started to reply, offer some comfort, tell him the truth, but she stopped when she heard a loud shriek.

"MY HAIR!"

She'd heard Chloe's screaming enough to be able to identify it from a distance, and she gave an exaggerated sigh. It was only when more people joined in that she realized something was wrong.

Marinette and Adrien locked eyes. Clumps of students stampeded past them, looking for shelter, and they were quickly left alone.

"We should, uh, get to class?" she said. _No, stupid. He's not going to believe you're still going to class during an akuma attack!_ "And- and lock ourselves in for safety?" _NO! That was even worse!_ "I m-mean-"

"Good idea," Adrien said, panicked. "But I'm... going to go check on Chloe first. Yeah." He dashed in what was clearly the opposite direction of the screaming and started glancing into open doors, probably looking for an empty classroom to transform in. Marinette watched him go until he turned a corner and was gone.

Tikki popped her head out of Marinette's purse. The akuma must have been close, because the hallway was already emptied of other people.

"See?" Tikki said. "He likes you."

"But which of me?" she asked. "Spots on."

She knew she didn't have time to wait for an answer, and Tikki couldn't provide one for that question anyway. Did he really like Marinette? Did he still have feelings for Ladybug? Cat Noir could be an insincere flirt sometimes, but Adrien didn't strike her that way. When her transformation was complete, Ladybug raced down the hallway, where she could hear Chloe's wailing.

So which was it? Who did he truly have feelings for? Or was he just playing both of her identities? There had to be some way to find out.

* * *

 _Author's note: The next chapter features my favorite side of the square: Ladynoir! 3 You know, when I was planning this story out, I thought it was going to be a one-shot. Then I thought it was going to be multiple chapters, but they'd only be about 500-1000 words each. *facepalm* I always underestimate my own wordiness._

 _To my guest reviewer: You're right. Adrien's type is veeeeery specific. :)_

 _Incorrect Miraculous Quote  
Kim: Going to classes, writing stuff down. You love all that nerd stuff._  
 _Max: Writing stuff down is nerdy? What do you do?_  
 _Kim: Just forget stuff, like a cool person._  
 _-Brooklyn Nine Nine_


	6. Chapter 6

Cat Noir sprinted down the hallways of the school, which were almost completely abandoned. His sensitive ears could pick up some fearful crying ahead, and he pushed himself to go faster. Marinette... would Ladybug beat him there? Or had she gotten caught up in whatever was happening? He shouldn't have left her. He should have just transformed in front of her. No one else had been there to see.

He rounded the corner to the hallway where she'd been, only to find that empty as well.

She didn't like Cat Noir. At all. She'd been disgusted at his declaration on her balcony yesterday. Horrified.

He turned another corner and could make out Ladybug's distant voice. She must already be there, facing the monster alone. It was confirmed when a new voice yelled, "I'm not Jeremie! I'm Big Wig now!"

Cat Noir had attempted to sooth his broken heart by telling himself that it was better this way. If they'd been together as superheroes and she never wanted to reveal identities, there was only so far their relationship could go. This was better for the long term. Then again, he already who she really was, so what did that to do his argument?

He should have just told her he'd found out, as soon as he'd found out. Maybe she'd be mad, but he'd feel better being honest. The yelling got louder, and he pulled out his baton, gripping it tight. He'd tell her as soon as the battle was over.

A nagging doubt, which sounded a lot like Plagg's voice, reminded him that she didn't seem too fond of Adrien either, and did he have a plan to deal with that?

But he didn't have any more time to wallow. He bounded up the stairs to the second floor and took one last turn, and there she was, his Lady, back to him, spinning her yoyo like a shield and crouched defensively. Behind her cowered Chloe, who was wailing loudly. Her hands clenched in her hair, which had turned dull brown with patches of gray. It was greasy and stringy and snarled, and it hung far past her elbows in matted clumps.

Ladybug hadn't noticed him yet, as someone deeper in the hallway held her full attention. "A bad haircut?" she said. "Really? I'm having trouble believing that _you're_ the most distraught person in all of Paris."

"Chloe made fun of me in front of Sofia! She will pay!"

"Well," Ladybug's voice faltered a little bit, but her yoyo didn't slow. "I guess I can sympathize with getting humiliated in front of your crush, but still."

What? She could? Had he witnessed the whole scene yesterday? Had she been extra flustered because she knew "the other guy" was watching him flirt with her?

No, he couldn't think about this right now. Cat Noir shook his head and used the cover of their distracting conversation to inch closer and try to assess the situation.

The akuma hadn't changed much in appearance. Cat Noir had recognized the boy by face but not by name. Jeremie, he had said. He was a year younger than Cat Noir and about a head shorter, and his head was really the only thing about him that had changed. Where he usually had thick, mousey brown hair that reached past his ears, now he had thick, long locks that floated behind him, like his hair was underwater.

Jeremie, or Big Wig, stood in the middle of the hallway surrounded by two dozen whimpering students who were lying scattered across the floor. All of them had grotesque manes of hair, but there was something wrong. Why weren't they running? A few of them looked around from their fetal positions and called for help.

Ladybug still didn't know he was there, but Big Wig did. He plucked a large hand mirror with a long handle from his belt and leveled it at him like a sword.

"Don't let it hit you!" Alya's familiar voice screamed.

A jet of white mist shot in their direction, and Ladybug and Cat Noir both dodged to the left. Hair spray, probably. Shooting from a mirror. Okay. They took shelter behind the open door of a janitor's closet, bracing it in front of them like a shield. Flecks of hair spray ricocheted off of it harmlessly.

"Ack!" Ladybug squawked when she saw him. "When did you get here?" But she didn't wait for an answer. She popped out from behind the door and tried to lasso the mirror away from Big Wig, but she missed. When she reel her yoyo back in, he could see her hands were shaking, and his heart broke a little bit more. He hadn't even said anything yet and she was already so upset that she'd missed an easy shot. He had to do something, bring back the normal.

He extended his baton until it hit Big Wig in the chest and pushed him against the far wall, pinning him next to the doorway there. Ayla peeked out through the opening, phone in one hand, and she gave him a thumbs up with the other. None of the other students had moved, and Chloe still whimpered softly and clutched at her hair, which was now so long it touched the floor.

"I'm actually really excited for this akuma," Cat Noir said loudly, bringing Ladybug's attention back onto him for just a brief moment. He gave her a lopsided grin, hoping it would make her relax.

Her eyes met his, then darted all across his face, almost panicked. "Oh, no," she said. "I'm so doomed."

"Because of the akuma?" he asked. Or was it because of him? He tried not to visibly wilt.

"No, because you're-" She cleared her throat and turned back to stare at Big Wig, who was wriggling underneath the end of the baton and shooting hair spray into a cloud in front of him. "Why are you excited, Cat Noir?"

"I've wanted to fight a hair-based akuma for ages. I've got so many good puns. But I really wished we could have faced him in some... _cat-_ a- _combs._ "

Ladybug whirled back on him. "I knew it."

"What?" he asked, alarmed. Had he messed up again? Had he made it even worse?

"You go home, and you sit in your room for hours, and plan all these terrible puns in advance. I KNEW IT!"

"Oh, come on! That one was really good." He jerked forward suddenly as Big Wig finally managed to get out from under the baton.

Ladybug spun her yoyo in anticipation and muttered, "It was okay."

His heart leapt.

She didn't hate him.

They both snapped back to attention when the purple outline of a butterfly briefly lined Big Wig's face.

"You're right. I guess it is your turn. Thanks for the help." Shifting his focus back on the duo, he said, "Time for those miraculouses!" Big Wig's hair fanned out behind him as he took a single step toward them.

"I'm sorry," Cat Noir said. "I can't give you mine. It's an old family _hair-_ loom."

Ladybug groaned. "And how long have you been saving that one?"

"About six months. Was it worth the wait?"

"No." But when he looked back at her, he could see that she was fighting a smile. That was progress. He felt a flutter of hope, but he knew he shouldn't press his luck with her today.

Big Wig didn't move far from the wall. Instead, he used his mirror like a club, batting away their long range attacks with ease. They were going to have to get closer to him, and Big Wig knew it. Picking their way through the minefield of victims wasn't going to be easy.

"Why aren't they moving out of the way?" Ladybug asked quietly.

One of the girls tried to raise her head up. She tugged and twisted but couldn't pull her hair away from the tiles. Cat Noir glanced back over his shoulder at Chloe. Her hands were still tangled in her hair. "I don't think they can," he said.

"It sticks to stuff!" Alya said. Ladybug gave her a grateful nod.

They weaved and bobbed through the students, careful not to step one anyone, but Big Wig wasn't making it easy. He relentlessly sprayed at them, forcing them to dodge and not letting them get closer.

It took only a few seconds of this before Ladybug realized that "We're going to have to split up. He can't hit both of us at once." She looked at him to make sure he'd heard her, and Big Wig struck, sending a long jet of hair spray at her. Cat Noir dove and took the hit for her.

Clumps of his blond hair fell out and his scalp tickled as new strands sprouted in their place. He made the mistake of pushing black hair away from his eyes with his right hand. When he tried to pull away, he couldn't. Oops. That was dumb. Double oops, because now he couldn't use Cataclysm. And his hair kept growing.

"Cat, are you okay?" Ladybug asked.

"Oh, My Lady, it's a tragedy! My modeling days are over! Will you still love me even though I'm ugly?" He froze with his mouth hanging open, akuma forgotten. He hadn't meant to do that. She didn't like him. She would push him away. He couldn't bear to see that look of horror on her face again, but he couldn't look away from her either.

She didn't seem upset, just surprised, then like she'd had a fantastic idea, then like she was about to challenge him to a race she knew he couldn't win. His stomach twisted, and he wasn't sure if he was suddenly excited or nervous. She leaned into him, letting her nose brush his. "Of course I'll still love you, Chaton."

What.

Alya wolf whistled at them from the doorway as Ladybug darted away from him, eyes on the akuma, and took all Cat Noir's air with her. Did he hear that right? What did she mean? Was that flirting?

He needed to help her, back her up, so he took one step forward and tripped on somebody's leg.

The battle was like most other battles, except for the fact that Cat Noir was questioning reality the whole time. When he took another dose of hair spray for her, she declared he was her hero. When her flirting caused him to trip a second time, she came to his rescue. As she pulled him up, she'd brought her lips so close to his ear that he could feel her breath tickle his skin, and then she asked in a soft voice if something was distracting him. He'd just about died. When she'd given his bell a flick and winked at him, he'd been left so speechless that she'd asked if the cat got his tongue.

With each flirt, he got more flustered, and Ladybug's smile grew wider. Why was she flirting with him? Did she mean it, or was she just trying to tease him?

Between the two of them – mostly Ladybug, because Cat Noir was having enough trouble walking in a straight line, never mind attacking – they managed to back Big Wig into an empty classroom. Alya hung around near the door, phone up.

The classroom wasn't much better than the hallway. Cat Noir's hand was still stuck in his hair, and there were four rows of desks in the way, but it was more contained, there weren't any people to trip over, and Big Wig was having trouble maneuvering around the desks. He couldn't keep his eyes on both of them and watch where he was going at the same time, so he kept bumping into things. The classroom was the best they would be able to manage.

"Give me your miraculouses!" Big Wig yelled, a slight tremor in his voice. His floating hair seemed to shiver the more nervous he became.

Ladybug pushed a desk out of her way. "It seems you're in a _hairy_ situation, Big Wig. Why don't you just hand over the mirror?"

She was making puns, too! It was the best day of his life!

Cat Noir came up next to her. Only one more row of desks separated them from the akuma victim. As one, they leapt over the chairs, but Big Wig was ready. Hair spray filled the air, and he knocked Ladybug to the side mid jump. Cat Noir caught her around the waist and steadied her against his chest (mostly on purpose), but he couldn't shield her hair from the attack. Her hair grayed and thinned and lengthened. When they'd regained their footing, he'd realized his mistake. Carried by the momentum of her fall, her pigtails whipped around, slapping against their sides and sticking the duo together, chest to chest.

Ladybug realized how close together they were and went beet red and kept her eyes on his shoulder, all of her confidence evaporating. Alya cackled manically from the doorway.

"S-s-sorry," Ladybug squeaked out. "Sorry. Sorry!" She pulled her arms in, like she wanted to protect herself from him. This was his fault. He had to fix it.

"Not that I mind being _lock-_ ed together with you," he said to break the tension, "but do you think this is _perm-_ anent?"

"Ugh!" Ladybug hadn't yet turned to face him, but her blush went down slightly. "Why must you always pun?"

"Because puns are _hair_ -larious!" Well, she hadn't started stuttering yet. That was good.

"No, they're still awful. Even if they're coming from- Never mind." She struggled to break away from him, and Big Wig took a few steps toward them, reaching for Ladybug's earrings.

Cat Noir took a few stumbling steps backward, dragging her along with him. "Can you still get to your yoyo?" he asked urgently. With his hand still tangled against his head, her special move was their last chance.

She got his meaning and called for her Lucky Charm. She caught a red and black-spotted cardboard box with the words "100 Pencils" printed on the side as Cat Noir dragged her away from Big Wig again.

"What are you planning on doing with that?" he asked, trying to think of something witty. "Write a hundred essays about why he should give up?" Oh, yes. So clever. Very intelligent. Ladybug was sure to be impressed. In his defense, it was hard to think with her pressed up against him like she was and Alya in the background, yelling at them to kiss already.

Ladybug propped the box against her hip and fumbled with the top flap with one hand. "No, I'm going to write you a hundred love letters."

"P-please do," Cat Noir whispered.

Alya screeched.

"You two are nauseating," Big Wig said.

But Ladybug had the biggest reaction. She stared up at his face when she heard his words and did something she'd never done before. She dropped her Lucky Charm. Pencils burst from the box and skittered across the floor. Big Wig laughed.

"Oh, no!" she cried. She tried bending her knees to pick of the pencils, but that only pulled Cat Noir down with her. Their foreheads knocked against each other and their drooping bangs tangled and stuck fast, holding their faces even closer together.

Now was not a good time to think about kissing her, but he couldn't remember what he was supposed to be thinking about instead.

Ladybug's earrings beeped, and she twisted away from him as much as she could. He couldn't see what she was looking at, but she suddenly said, "Wait, I've got it. Follow my lead, on my signal."

Cat Noir could barely see through his matted bangs and around her, but what he could see wasn't encouraging. Big Wig stalked closer to them, free hand outstretched. "Your hair's already at your waist. What are you going to do when it reaches the ground? You'll both be trapped." He hefted his mirror in front of him. "Or I can just speed up the process."

Cat Noir tensed, ready to move when she gave the word. Her face twisted up in concentration, waiting for their perfect moment.

Big Wig squeezed the handle of the mirror and released a cloud of hair spray.

"Now!"

They dove through the mist and right toward the akuma. Big Wig dodged, but slipped and rolled on the pencils at his feet, completely unbalanced.

Ladybug shifted her weight and looped her arms around Cat Noir's neck, carefully avoiding his long hair, and he was ready when she tucked her feet up and gave the akuma a kick. Big Wig spun his arms in an effort to stay upright, but he fell right through the lingering cloud of hair spray and fell. His beautiful flowing hair crinkled and went limp. Big Wig managed to break his fall with his arms, but the tips of his hair brushed the tiles and stuck fast, and he dropped the mirror. It clattered to the floor and slid just out of his reach. He strained, but he couldn't reach it.

"Phew," Ladybug said, lowering her feet back to the ground and blushing furiously. She didn't unloop her hands from around his neck. "Let's, uh, finish this off. Hey, Alya? Could you get the mirror for us?"

"No, sorry," Alya said. "Got to record."

Ladybug wrinkled her nose. "You just want to see if we'll fall over each other trying to get it, don't you?"

Cat Noir gulped.

"It's a dangerous akuma!" Alya said. "Surely, you don't want a civilian risking her life? Now, hurry up. I've got a great angle and my battery's getting low."

Ladybug grumbled, but started maneuvering through the scattered desks and around the still struggling akuma. Her earrings beeped a second time.

Cat Noir tried to focus on where he was putting his feet. Tried to focus on not brushing his hair against the desks. Tried to focus on the still-struggling Big Wig. Tried to focus on anything except the return of Ladybug's small smile, how cute her freckles were up close, how warm she felt next to him, how much he wanted to keep her there.

"All right," Cat Noir said when they reached the mirror. It had slid between two desks in the front row. "I can see it. It's right next to my foot." He kicked it closer to her. "Want me to stomp-"

"I'll get it," she said. She bent and reached, but she caught him by surprise, and ended up unbalancing both of them. He hit a desk on their their way down, but that wasn't what took his breath away. Alya had been right. When he blearily opened his eyes, he was flat on his back with Ladybug on top of him, her nose in his cheek.

"Sorry!" she squeaked. "I didn't mean- I th-thought I could reach-" Her face was so red he could barely tell where her skin ended and her mask began. She reached out and hammerfisted the mirror, then rolled until they on their sides and reached for her yoyo. With a quick flick of her wrist, she cleansed the akuma and called for her cure. When their hair had been magically fixed, she retreated quickly and refused to look at him, instead focusing on herding Jeremie back out the door. He didn't need much coaxing, and he darted past Alya as soon as he was back on his feet. Chloe had been right. It was an awful haircut, poor kid.

Alya blocked the door, trapping the duo inside and holding up her phone. Ladybug's earrings beeped a third time. "You've got a few more minutes, you know. You two should kiss!"

Cat Noir sucked in a breath and took a step backward. He carefully avoided looking at Ladybug, but out of the corner of his eye, he saw her jump in surprise. He'd love to. But he still wasn't sure what his Lady wanted. So he put his hands up and was about to make his apologies for ruining her scoop when he felt a hand reach up to his neck and pull him down.

He barely had time to register what was happening, barely enough time to feel the small peck against his lips, barely enough time to feel the warmth of her closeness, before she let him go and ran for the door past a dumbstruck Alya. Ladybug glanced over her shoulder at him as she turned the corner and smiled shyly at him. Then she was gone. She had kissed him? Cat Noir stared at the spot where she had disappeared for a solid ten seconds before turning back to Alya, who was getting a closeup of his amazed face.

"You got all that, right?" he managed to croak out.

"Yeah," she said. "I'm livestreaming it."

"Good." He lightly touched his fingers to his lips. She had kissed him! "Because I'm going to download that to every device I own."

He looked around the room in a daze, Alya's phone still on him. A few of the chairs were still out of place, so he started setting them back into place. Well, he tried to. He told his feet to move, but they were still frozen in place from the shock. He leaned forward to move, but he unbalanced and tipped over, smacking his face against a chair on the way down.

"Are you okay?" Alya asked.

"Never mind," he replied from the floor. "I'm not happy you're livestreaming it."

"Wow." She reached out one hand, keeping the phone trained on him with the other. "You've got it so bad."

"I know."

He stumbled out of the room, waiting until he was sure she had gone down a different hallway and was completely alone before calling off the transformation.

"She wouldn't have kissed me if she hadn't meant it, right?" Adrien asked as he slid down against a row of lockers.

Plagg slipped out of sight and back into his shirt pocket. "If I agree with you, can I have extra cheese?"

"Sure."

"Then you're right. She's totally into you. Congratulations. Gimme my cheese."

He still wasn't sure what was happening. She'd said that she liked someone else. Her behavior over the past 24 hours had been erratic. She'd run away from his attention every time he'd ever offered it before, but he couldn't get one unexpected truth out of his head: he still had a chance.

* * *

 _Author's note: Ah, Ladynoir. Ha ha. Serious question time. Should I be posting my writing anywhere else? I have it on FFN and AO3, but I've heard people talking about things like Wattpad, Livejournal, Tumblr, even Deviantart. I haven't yet, mostly because I feel like it'd probably be overkill. But... thoughts? (Leave a comment or PM me, if you want.)_

 _Next chapter is the last one!_

 _Incorrect Miraculous Quote  
Ms. Bustier: Marinette, keep an eye on Chloe today. She's going to say something to the wrong person and get herself punched._  
 _Marinette: Sure, I'd love to see Chloe get punched._  
 _Ms. Bustier: Try again._  
 _Marinette: I will stop Chloe from getting punched._  
 _Ms. Bustier: Correct._  
 _-Brooklyn Nine Nine_


	7. Chapter 7

Marinette's stomach was still doing flips as she detransformed and headed to her locker, while her brain couldn't stop chanting, _He likes me! He likes me! He really, really likes me!_ No matter what he said to her as a civilian, his feelings for Ladybug were still as strong as ever. He hadn't moved on, as she'd feared. He wasn't going to be distracted by the next pretty face. She wasn't in any danger of losing him.

And she'd kissed him! That left her more giddy than anything.

The hallways were still almost deserted. Classes were always slow to start back up after an akuma attack, so she took a moment to pull up the Ladyblog on her phone. She'd been focusing on the akuma too much to really appreciate Cat Noir's reaction to her flirting. She hunched over the small screen, greedily drinking in his stunned expressions, his flustered blushes, his every loving smile sent when her back was turned.

Even in costume and spouting dumb cat puns to get her attention, Adrien was so adorable. And he was so thoughtful, so romantic, so kind. She was so doomed. And he liked her back!

Alya's hand had jerked in excitement and shook the video feed when Ladybug had pulled Cat Noir in for the kiss, and Marinette stifled a giggle. She wasn't sure where her confidence to do _that_ had come from, but she was certainly enjoying Alya's closeup of his face after she'd run out. Tingles went through her whole body when Alya said he had it bad, and he'd agreed. He'd agreed!

When the video ended, she played it again, skipping to the very end when Cat Noir touched his lips after she'd run out.

"There you are!" Adrien's jubilant voice called from down the hallway.

Marinette yelped and tried to tuck the phone out of sight before he reached her. She tapped the screen frantically as she hid it behind her back, trying to pause the video.

"Hey, Adrien! Get through the akuma attack okay?"

She heard the video still playing quietly, but she wasn't sure if he could. She swiped her fingers against the screen, hoping it would navigate to a different page.

"Yeah," he said, stepping closer to her than she expected and smiling. "I'm fine, thanks. You- well, you were obviously fine, too."

"I am, th-" She almost thanked him for his help, but she was saved by a loud, tinny crash coming from her phone, followed by Alya's voice asking if Cat Noir was okay, and him starting to complain about the livestream. Marinette squeaked and whipped her phone out in front of her. She hadn't navigated away. She'd somehow turned the volume up? How the heck had she done that?!

"Are you..." Adrien started to ask, but phone-Alya interrupted him.

"Wow. You've got it so bad."

"Turn off!" Marinette whimpered, poking at the screen. She could feel his eyes on her, but even so she couldn't help the giddy giggle when he admitted to Alya that he knew. Of course he would have caught her rewatching the video. He'd think she was some crazed Ladynoir shipper. To be fair, she kind of was at this point. She sighed in relief when the video stopped playing, cutting off Alya's post-akuma commentary. When she looked back up, Adrien was leaning against the lockers next to her, arms crossed and self-satisfied smile plastered across his face.

"Rewatching the entire highlight reel, or you just enjoying the kissing scene? Hmm?"

 _You seemed to enjoy it, Kitty,_ she thought.

He inched his way closer to her, smiling. "Today was pretty spectacular. Well, Ladybug's always spectacular." Her heart sped up, faster than it had when fighting the akuma. She wanted to return the compliment, but she didn't trust herself enough to speak, and he kept talking. "She's the most amazing- I mean, you're amazing too, Marinette." And he put a hand on her shoulder, pulling her even closer.

Students started trickling back into the hallway as he rambled. Was she reading too much into the situation? Because the look that he was giving her was just like the ones he'd been giving Ladybug throughout the whole video. Was she misinterpreting his body language? Because the hand on her shoulder seemed to say that he wanted to keep unmasked Marinette close. Was she missing some crucial bit of information? Because why would he be smiling at her like that, when it was Ladybug who had kissed him?

"Oh," she breathed. "You figured it out, too. Didn't you?" She started to giggle. "That explains a lot. I thought I was the only one."

"Too?" he asked. He pulled back his hand in surprise, but let it hover awkwardly in the space between them. "Figured out? Figured... what out exactly?"

"That's what yesterday was about, wasn't it?" He hadn't moved on as soon as someone new caught his attention. He'd been seeking her out in both forms!

"You knew?" he asked. "About..."

He seemed hesitant to say it out loud, so she reached up and pulled on her ear, showing off an earring. "It seems we have a lot in common." She paused and then whispered, "Cat Noir."

Mr. Damocles' voice came over the intercom, announcing that the akuma had been neutralized and students were free to return to their classrooms. People peeked out behind doors and looked around, and several ventured out into the hallway. Adrien took the increased noise as an opportunity to scoot even closer to her, so he could still be heard even though he whispered. "And I spent all that time worrying that you were going to be mad I found you out."

He was so close, but Marinette didn't even jump when the backs of their hands brushed. "I think we need to work on our communication skills, because I spent all yesterday wondering what was going on with you. And... and panicking. There was a lot of panicking that happened."

Adrien chuckled. "I could tell that much."

"I should have just talked to you about it. Sorry."

Across the hallway somewhere, she heard noisy whispering, but she didn't pause to look at who was causing it. Watching Adrien's face morph from mushy to relieved to thoughtful was much too entertaining.

"In the interest of communication, can I ask you something?"

She nodded, and his hand reached up to brush a stray hair out of her face. She glowed under his gentle touch. The whispering became louder and more excited, but Adrien's voice got quieter.

"Why did you kiss me? N-not that I'm complaining or anything! It's just..."

 _Because I wanted to!_ "Because I wasn't sure if you'd changed your mind or you weren't just as serious about me as you claimed," she said. She'd been testing his personality more than anything. Though it seemed stupid now. Of course he hadn't moved on! Look at his sappy face!

"And what did you learn?"

She reached up and booped him on the nose. "That you're a very smitten kitten."

She watched him, expecting him to reach for her, kiss her knuckles, declare that she was right, but instead he stood up a little straighter, pulling his head back from her slightly. Her stomach dropped. Had- Had she been wrong? Her nerves jangled in alarm. Why was he retreating?

"One more question," he said. "You don't have to answer if you don't want to, but... who is he?"

"Who's who?"

"You said-" Adrien looked a little confused, and he took a step away from her, like he was bracing himself for something. The action made a gap between them in more ways than one. She wanted to pull him back, but she wasn't sure if that would make it worse. He took a quick breath and said, "You told me you liked someone else. Who is it?"

Marinette sighed, half in relief, half in frustration. She'd spent the better part of the last year trying to get this boy to see that she adored him, and she'd done such a terrible job at it.

"I mean, you don't have to tell me," he said, taking her sigh the wrong way. "I was just... I mean, I really like you, and I was just wondering, but if you don't think it's my business, I understand."

He took another step away, but she grabbed his hand before he could get very far. "Y-You."

"What?"

She took a deep breath and willed herself not to stutter. She'd been dreaming of telling Adrien this for months. She wasn't going to mess it up now that the moment had arrived. "The 'other boy,'" she put air quotes around it with her right hand, keeping a firm grip on him with her left, "is you."

"Me?" he asked, eyes rounding. "This whole time?"

She let her broad smile at him be her response.

"So you... meant it? The, the flirting and that kiss? You really meant it? Wait. Is that why you always get so flustered around me?"

This time, her blush was her answer. "Uh, yeah. I can get pretty nervous trying not to look dumb around you, but I only make it worse. That, and your face is really distracting." She slapped a hand over her mouth. Gah, what was she saying? His Cat side was going to have a field day with that information.

"Oh, really." He smirked at her and closed the gap between them. Yup. There it was. His arms snaked around her waist and pulled her close. The whispering started up again. "This is very useful in- _fur-_ mation about a very _purr-_ tty young lady."

"N-nope," she said, pulling away and looking at the floor to hide her blush. "I hear enough cats as it- cat puns as it is. Not loing to glisten – ugh! – going to listen, to them f-from you."

"Hey, it worked!"

"S-shut up."

"Shame. I've been saving the best ones for our big reveal." He cupped her cheek with his hand, guiding her face toward his. "I guess the-"

Her stomach stomach flipped and her lips tingled with anticipation, but she still had the sense to interrupt him. "If you say, 'the cat's out of the bag,' I'm breaking up with you."

Adrien jerked back, terror evident across his face. "Please don't br- wait. Are we dating?"

"Uh. Yes?" She reached up and ran her fingers through his hair. He closed his eyes contentedly. Their faces drifted closer together. "I mean, if you want, we could. It's okay with me." She tilted her head to avoid his nose, then closer her eyes. "And I won't break up with you for something as silly as a lame pun."

"Oh. Well, in that case, I guess the cat's-"

There was no way she was going to let him finish that sentence. Her fingers slipped from his hair to his neck and pulled him down the rest of the way. He melted against her, pun forgotten.

When she pulled away, she rested her lips against his cheek, and murmured softly, "Think you're going to remember this one, Kitty?"

"This one what?" he asked dreamily.

"Kiss, silly. You don't remember the Dark Cupid one."

"Wait, you kissed me just now?" She turned just enough to see the corner of his eye crinkling in delight. One of his arms was still around her waist, the other wrapped tightly around her shoulders, while her fingers played with the hair at the nape of his neck. "I don't remember any kiss," he said. "Guess you'll just have to do it again to remind me."

He had no trouble in convincing her.

The hallway was full of students, but no one was paying them much attention. There was still that incessant whispering coming from somewhere, though. Was it getting louder? She stopped wondering about it when he pulled her in for a third kiss.

"I can't believe it took us this long to figure it out," she said a minute later. She tucked her head under his chin. "We're both kind of stupid, aren't we?"

He chuckled, and she felt it rumble through his chest. "Definitely not as smart as scissors."

"Shut uuuuuppp!"

"Alya!" the whisperer said.

Marinette's eyes flew open as Adrien's arms fell away from her. He'd heard it too.

"Nino, you ruined it!" Alya said. A tall caddy of cleaning supplies stood against the opposite wall, and their two best friends were crouched behind it, peeking around the side. Nino was on his hands and knees. Alya leaned over him, bracing both elbows into his back to keep her phone steady.

"Well, you have pointy elbows! Get off!"

"Whatever," she said, scrambling up. "I got what I came for. Two ships sailing in one day! HA!"

Marinette covered her face with her hands. Oh, she'd been hearing about both of those videos for months.

Adrien just laughed, throwing his arms around Marinette's shoulders in a tight squeeze. "Send me a copy, will you?" he asked. Alya flashed him a thumbs up, and he turned back to Marinette and kissed her temple. "Now, about those 100 love letters you're writing me."

The End

* * *

 _Author's note: Thank you, everyone, for reading all the way to the end. :) Thank you for liking my story. And thank you_ _for the reviews (and the advice). I've loved reading your reactions!_ _I've got two short things I want to write, then I'll be launching into another longer fic, which was ruined by the Glactiator episode. Ha ha. Oh, well. You'll just have to pretend that one never happened. It'll be more angsty than this, where Mari finds out his identity first and is upset about it. Probably won't start posting for two or three months, but it's coming!_

 _Incorrect Miraculous Quote  
Marinette: I made this friendship bracelet for you._  
 _Adrien: You know, I'm not really a jewelry person._  
 _Marinette: You don't have to wear it._  
 _Adrien: No, I'm gonna wear it forever. Back off._  
 _-Bob's Burgers_


End file.
